


Heal

by Ribica



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-12-09 06:58:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20990723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ribica/pseuds/Ribica
Summary: Dina had always found herself on the safe side with Ellie, this time the tides have turned.





	Heal

**Dina POV**

Another sleepless night accompanied her worn out eyes as she tried to adjust on the sprung out futon in the corner of the room. It was dawn, the lukewarm sun shone through the shy crevice of her bedroom window in which she found no peace, no comfort. Days have passed since Jesse and Joel came back from patrol only to see Ellie being in critical condition. The next thing she could remember was being covered in blood while trying to stop the sly bleeding from the taller girl's head "What the fuck happened Joel? Are her bones broken, give me stats quickly I don't have much time." Bewildered he tried to mutter a response but to no avail, the lump in his throat made it impossible to express the situation at hand, the old man could only watch and hope for Dina to save his..." Joel I need an overview quickly we are losing her!!" no use, he was numb to her cries. Her distress was like a bad tinnitus that rang against his synapses, mocking his incompetence to save yet another daughter."Fuck, Jesse press down on her head, I need to fixate her leg and neck. What in the world happened at patrol??" The urge in her voice made his cords burst out a wail so painful that even Dina couldn't brace herself for the answer. He gave his best to tame himself and beat the fear out of his lungs as he spoke with a tone of disbelief " we...we were ambushed by this one group and got split up, Ellie escaped into a nearby bunker." Wiping the sweat of his temple he tried to continue, he held on to Dina's concentrated gaze on Ellie, he couldn't bare to be looked at "Then we heard screaming, by the time we got there she..."

"She was already unconscious, her head soaked in a pool of blood I wished to god was my own." Joel croaked from the shadows of the room, he melted into the wall, became one with it as he built up his courage. He had no room to abide to his demons that were dancing and flailing his guilt across the room, not if he wanted to prevent another tragedy. "There was a man, standing over her with a sledge hammer. Cult leader I suppose, "This is sacrifice land." Those were the words he spoke before Jesse shot him down." She had heard enough, with every bandage she tied over her girlfriend's limbs her stomach grew weaker and weaker. Ellie was out cold, barely hanging on a thread and Dina was powerless. "I adjusted her broken bones and stopped the bleeding. The hemorrhage was severe, she is stable for now. I will stay by her side and monitor her behavior. Get me antiepileptics from the clinic." Silence filled the room as Joel and Jesse left Dina to deal with the rest.

"You? Die of old age? No way, you are way too reckless." She sat on her futon with knees closely tied to her chest. Dina slowly fell prey to her own mind, guilt practically gnawed at her as she stared empty eyed at the freckled girl across her. Euthanized by fear she slipped no glare to the silhouette approaching her space. It was Joel, he slowly put the medicine on the table and planted himself next to her. "When I first met Ellie she was nothing more than cargo to me. A job that I had to do to get a damn set of weapons back. If anyone told me that I would bond with that girl I would have laughed at them. Here I am, five years later and she is still as reckless as she was when she was fourteen, and I still love her nonetheless." She rarely heard anything about Ellie's past, not that she wasn't interested. In the many teasing sessions she oh so kindly provided to Ellie whenever she would question the taller one about her life before Jackson Ellie would fall quiet. Dina might have enjoyed annoying her, but she never questioned her respect towards Ellie no matter how close they would get. She didn't comment on Joel's confession, a deep exhale followed his last word and she stood up. Finding new strength she went to position herself next to Ellie. The morning light was now easier to bare as it's rays gently caressed Ellie's cheeks, giving them a soft blush that reassured Dina as she decided to do a checkup, from tightening up the confines on her limb and neck to gently pressing the swollen purple bulge at the back of Ellie's head. It seemed as if she was making progress, but Dina knew that despite the fast retraction Ellie could be rendered immobile for a while. "I am going to check up on Jesse, he took it really bad. Poor kid is blaming himself for what happened to Ellie." Joel received a soft nod and lead himself out of the room as silence yet again accompanied the two girls.

**Ellie POV**

More than ever, she was sure her life had flashed before her eyes. A dull ringing surged through her head and sent screams down her spine as adrenaline practically oozed out of her pores, she tried to evade the next hit but it was too late. Ellie found herself trapped in her thoughts, perplexed at it's realness she smelled a very distinct but familiar scent. Metal and rotten flesh, silence still lingering ominously over her shoulder, she felt a sudden rush of cold. "A storm is coming little rabbit, better run." Ellie froze, caving in to the voice that echoed through her mind, invading every inch of her body like a parasite. "No one that's infected fights this hard to stay alive." He came closer to her, his shadow melting into her own. " Tell me, how did you do it Ellie?" 

Hollow screams flooded her lungs, sent a tidal wave of panic and anxiety. She couldn't escape it, didn't know how. "Leave my head you motherfucker!!!" In vain, David hung over her like the grim reaper himself, smiling at the damaged and scared girl. "You can try begging." She bolted, flung and grabbed at whatever she could get her hands on and yelled. Tears flowing down her cheeks, eating at her bruises and cuts like corrosion. "Ellie calm down it's me!!" She couldn't recognize Dina's voice, a flux of anger and determination seeped through her muscles. Her whole world came crashing down on her when she heaved her fist against Dina's skull, knocking the girl back. She didn’t notice her torn skin, nor the blood that was pouring out her brow bone. " I'll kill you!!" her pain dissipated in an instant, as the ember eyed girl stared vehemently at Ellie. "What happened? We heard yell..." she didn't let go of Ellie's gaze, focusing on every move her body made, reading every tensed up muscle pulsing with fear and anger. "She is experiencing PTSD, I need you two to slowly back off and leave the room." Joel and Jesse were not sure what to do, the old man felt the urge to embrace her but he saw the look she gave him. It wasn't helpless, her stare was vacant, filled with darkness and pain and he didn't know what to do to pull her out of it. A quick snap brought Ellie back to Dina, she wanted the pained girl to focus on her. "Ellie, listen to me. Remember that night in the library?" her hand gently traced the corner of the bed, making Ellie accustomed to her closeness. "The kiss we shared, I need you to know that it was real." Dina knew that she could reach the girl that was stuck in a meta world of nightmares and trauma. “I won’t let anyone hurt you again”

Slowly she cupped her cheeks, rubbing away the saltiness which hid in the orbit of her eyes “You are not alone anymore.” Finally Ellie met the shorter girl’s gaze, still intoxicated by fear and doubt her brain had a mind of its own. “Don’t trust anyone, you are hurt, people hurt you. Will you allow this one to hurt you too?” Gritting her teeth Ellie bore her nails into Dina’s shoulders, digging into her flesh. “You fuckers are so full of shit. Protect me my ass!! No one can keep anyone safe in this filthy world. Who are you to change that?” Dina stayed quiet, bracing the pain of a million forces on her. The love of her life stared at her repugnantly, twisting her fingers deeper and deeper into her collarbone. “ You are right, this world is filthy and cruel. And yet here I am, fighting for your life because guess what you idiot.” Snapping aggressively at Ellie’s wrists, Dina yelled out with such authority that even Joel, who was absolutely terrified for his daughter, eased into his shoulders. “ We love you. I would catch a bullet for you if it meant you would live.” the two men came closer, sensed the purpose of Dina’s speech and placed their hands onto Ellie’s back, gently kneading her strained muscles in hopes of making the anxious girl relax. She hissed at their touch but didn’t protest, her eyes focused on Dina’s. Their irises playing with each other gleefully. Her cramped hands eased up and gently rested on the crook of her girlfriend’s neck, calmly tapping at her skin. They studied each other’s features, from the smallest pore to the biggest scar. Both had their stories to share, but Ellie found comfort in this silence as if all the world vanished. Only them existing in this moment. “I can see that everything is under control now.” Joy resonated from Jesse’s voice, seeing Ellie in a less vulnerable state made him feel at ease.

“Wow Jesse, you really know how to ruin a moment, jeez.”

Dina let out a loud howl, baffled at her girlfriend’s sassiness, giving out a theatrical gasp she added “Yeah Jesse, you are so inconsiderate.” His eyes furrowed in disbelief at their sudden tease, deciding not to dwell on it too much, after all he was happy that Ellie was alive and well enough to make her standard jokes.

“C’mon old man, let’s leave these two alone for a while.” Joel waited for an approval from Ellie he wanted to be sure she was okay, to his luck Dina gave him a stable nod of approval before they headed out the door.

“You owe me a massage after you recover, my shoulders are kinda tense.”

“Oh har har” 

Dina giggled fondly at the annoyed girl before planting a soft kiss on her temple.

“I have to inform you that you will need some physical therapy because of your slight brain damage, I promise to help you get back on your feet.”

A soft kiss accompanied Dina’s last words and she fell silent, letting out a soft sigh as their lips fused together like milk and honey. They stayed like that for a while,nourishing each other with compassion and safety. “I am sorry for what I did to you, I was in a bad place. I will tell you all about it, on one condition though.” A cheeky smile escaped her mouth as she uttered, “you have to give me a good morning kiss every single day.” 

“That is a condition I am happily willing to oblige.” 


End file.
